... Probability Theory: TheLogicOfSciencebyEdwinJaynes Probability Theory: TheLogicOfScienceBy E T JaynesThe material available from this page is a pdf version ofJaynes' book If you ... http://bayes.wustl.edu/etj/prob.html (1 of 3) [5/28/2001 11:29:25 PM] Probability Theory: TheLogicOfSciencebyEdwinJaynes 10 Physics Of ``Random Experiments'' 11 Discrete Prior Probabilities - The Entropy Principle ... probability theory ofthe future History: The present form of this work is the result of an evolutionary growth over many years My interest in probability theory was stimulated rst by reading the work of...
... interest in it Science writers and editors needn’t start off knowing much science Some ofthe best of them do, but some ofthe best of them don’t They must, though, be able to learn science, be ... of things with this theory The first thing I calculated was the rate of disintegration ofthe muon and the neutron They should be connected together, if this theory was right, by a certain relationship, ... it’s off by percent.” Then I remember the percent It was like a prediction for me: I went home and got this theory that says the neutron decay should be off by percent, and they tell me the next...
... that the dissensions which exist between our two families deprive us ofthe possibility of seeing each other anywhere else, and that neither my brothers nor my father are likely to approve of our ... that Hotel of Lyons, that Hotel of Holland, what charming places to live in![Footnote: Instead of naming the hotels (= mansions) ofthe great noblemen, Julia names the hotels (= inns) ofthe time ... informed of all that; is discussed in the privy council of Prester John [Footnote: The name given in the middle ages to a supposed Christian sovereign and priest (presbyter) in the interior of Asia.]...
... trigger their adrenaline So they often thrive as staff, goaded on bythe rest ofthe group (not to mention the boss) Gregarious types may not need goading but wilt in a life that leaves them alone ... at theof ce and see that, actually, the work was not so bad So I’d patch and polish (always fun, the exercise of craft), then start a new segment on that momentum The next day I could start by ... water and fertilize and weed There is work to be done But the work pays off biggest when the plants are right for the soil and microclimate ofthe particular garden Is there some subject or writing...
... of things with this theory The first thing I calculated was the rate of disintegration ofthe muon and the neutron They should be connected together, if this theory was right, by a certain relationship, ... it’s off by percent.” Then I remember the percent It was like a prediction for me: I went home and got this theory that says the neutron decay should be off by percent, and they tell me the next ... idea of which I was reminded bythe word “flob” in the last item Did you know what I meant by flob? I am sure you did Is the word in the current Random House dictionary? No, it is not Is there...
... as the value of their degrees decreased While students may not like the discipline imposed on them by tough professors, they want tough professors to help them maintain the reputation of their ... from the costs suffered by others, but notice that the cost suffered by one person is only a minor part ofthe total cost, and the greater the number of attendees at the meetings, the greater the ... out, the importance of these commitment mechanisms is illustrated bythe fact that their breakdown foreshadowed the end ofthe community Other means of bringing about collective behavior on the...
... work, the play "The Merchant of Venice" - Studying the theme "The victorious laugh of love, friendship, justice and commonsense" in the play "The Merchant of Venice" by Shakespeare V The methods of ... citizen, The party' against the which he both contrive 49 Shall seize one half his goods, the other half Comes to the privy coffer ofthe state , And the offender's life lies in the mercy Ofthe Duke ... defeated They did not believe in God God was not the creator ofthe world, they praised life on the earth Their happiness, their life only existed on the earth, not on the heaven They believed in their...
... of perceiving, of thinking, of understanding and of interacting spring out ofthe boundaries of ”humanity,” spring out ofthe boundaries of ”nationhood,” and spring out ofthe boundaries ofthe ... strength) ofthe wave length According to survivors of near-death experiences, the higher the level ofthe spirit the brighter the light shines, and the lower the level the darker the light seems ... were of Old Norse, the language ofthe Vikings and the precursor of modern Icelandic, and these words were actually used bythe Vikings The other twelve words were all related to seafaring, and of...
... left blank words Mastering the Craft ofScience Writing ideas into Elise Hancock Foreword by Robert Kanigel THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS Baltimore & London For my father, who would have been ... those? But by now I was long past the point where I paid it any mind So I sat and waited while she finished Finally, she pulled out the page, gathered it together with one or two others and, still ... Foreword, by Robert Kanigel Acknowledgments ix xvii A Matter of Attitude Finding Stories 29 Finding Out: Research and the Interview 45 Writing: Getting Started and the Structure 69 Writing: The Nitty...
... interest in it Science writers and editors needn’t start off knowing much science Some ofthe best of them do, but some ofthe best of them don’t They must, though, be able to learn science, be ... intelligent questions, and shake off the high intimidation quotient of a dense, jargon-laden article in the Proceedings ofthe National Academy of Sciences Elise was a member of this breed; she was an ... count, too But rather of a rich sensibility of respect For language For ideas For people For the surprising and the deliciously weird in us all And most of all, respect for the world, the endlessly...
... deeply with the ma- Ideas into Words terial as they with the readers Indeed, their curiosity and its fruits are a large part of what the reader senses, of what lets the reader trust them—a process ... lucky See you at the bar?” Ten minutes later, while the grousers were presumably at the bar, I walked bythe room of exchange copies—and there was John Bethell, combing through other people’s magazines ... to be good enough, the reader will flip on by Worst of all, readers can tell when you’re showing off and unconcerned with them They don’t necessarily make the diagnosis, but they feel annoyed and...
... parties, people often tell me that they have decided they want to be writers, and they’ll get started as soon as they have more time, or when they have their study fixed up, or when they get a new ... way of Being that in turn gives rise to appropriate Doing You can spot the best mentors, like the best parents and the best shrinks, because their former protégés are out there doing the work They ... they can afford to go back to school, or after the precession ofthe equinoxes, or something When I was still an editor, a few would even say they’d get started when they had an assignment, then...
... Another whole class of story ideas arrives from the other direction: from outside the world of research, in the form of a question, observation, or piece of news.To understand the phenomenon then ... Well, you get the picture Spot what appeals to the visual sense Today’s technology lets us look at everything from the eyes of flies to the birth of stars, from the bottom ofthe ocean to the everyday ... 34 as for the rest of us, ideas spark each other off, showing their full size only as they connect Sometimes it’s hard to know what you think till someone asks the right question or offers one...
... is the topic of this chapter But first, let me recommend one more attitude: Thescience writer and the scientist are allies, sharing a commitment to science and the public understanding thereof—upon ... expertise to the table .The science writer knows how to translate science for the public, while the scientist knows thescience Whenever you start writing about any particular piece of research, ... complex issue there is a fabulous book to be written Go for it The beauty of case studies is that they carry the reader along on the wings of story, to which you can append pods of explanation...
... of research and not some other? Why now and not before? Guaranteed, there must have been other ways to approach the issue, so what was the advantage of this one? The answers are always part of ... fact, the better the scientific team, the more the leaders seem to want to credit the junior Research and the Interview 53 Ideas into Words members—who are their future colleagues, after all They ... either thescience or the research strategy or both How, precisely, was the research performed? You want to know at about this level: “We this because A, then that to create B Then we put the...
... my rapport with the other person suffered, plus I often lost track ofthe content The problem is that, when I’m typing at the speed of speech, the words blur into a succession of letter combinations ... pleasure, and you’ll get a lot by osmosis Science, the journal ofthe American Association for the Advancement of Science, is also weekly, and its front section ofscience news is without peer ... successfully out the other side, because then you’ll know in your bones that feeling hopeless is just a phase After that, you’ll probably find the process rather fun It has all the joys of solving the New...
... focused on the core concern shared bythe subgroups You directly address the key reader, offering 100 percent of what that person needs (e.g., rudimentary world news) Then you throw the others a ... ones? If the mother is nursing the baby, does that make a difference? Not all the readers would have thought to ask those questions, but they will all care about the answers Then consider the pregnant ... head at the close “We could a lot of good for other countries where they really need the camels for meat,” Skidmore said “Where they really need them for milk Where they desperately need them for...
... magnificent island.” Then I considered the essay’s title: The Island at the End ofthe Earth.” Hmm In many seagoing cultures, the islands at the end ofthe world are where the dead and dying go ... is the symmetry so clear at opening and close The reader enters and leaves this universe of words at the same place, pulled through the duration ofthe trip by a well-crafted spiral The other ... albatross appears out ofthe east, where high dark coasts open on the ocean horizon and the last sun ray glints on the windy seas ofthe Drake Passage The group reaches the island The author tells...